NYU Entrepreneurshiphttp://entrepreneur.nyu.edu
Sun, 15 Sep 2019 13:00:34 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.14Startup of the Week: The Diversity Orghttp://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/09/11/startup-week-diversity-org/
http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/09/11/startup-week-diversity-org/#respondWed, 11 Sep 2019 17:33:17 +0000http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/?p=200690Every week, the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute elects a Startup of the Week. We then invite the founders of these startups to share a blog post with our community. These posts can be inspirational, educational, or entertaining. Founders can share founding stories, resources, lessons... anything they want, as long as it's from the heart. --------- My […]

]]>Every week, the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute elects a Startup of the Week. We then invite the founders of these startups to share a blog post with our community. These posts can be inspirational, educational, or entertaining. Founders can share founding stories, resources, lessons... anything they want, as long as it's from the heart.

---------

My name is Joshua Pierce and I am the founder and CEO of an education company called The Diversity Org.

I created this company, expanded it to 15 schools and partnered with YouTube’s “Creators For Change” initiative during my time at NYU. In the past, we were a company that facilitated high school assemblies focused on unconscious bias training. Our goal was to educate the next generation of college goers and workforce so that they can understand marginalized communities' struggles and consciously create more equality.

This was effective and inspirational work. However, during my entrepreneurial journey, I realized that although we were doing powerful work and that there was a demand for our programs, it was hard to measure the lasting impact of this. Plus, we were missing an entire demographic of students who needed programs the most, which were low-income schools who couldn’t afford our programs.

Therefore, we transitioned from an LLC to a nonprofit. We changed our target demographic to low-income students. We also changed our business model to be more measurable and sustainable. This will allow us to bring in substantially more revenue and make a more significant impact.

What Do We Do Now?

The Diversity Org hosts high school assemblies that educate low-income students on how to obtain corporate and high-income careers. We partner with nonprofits that provide college readiness, have students engage in skill based workshops at large corporations, and obtain internship placements with our corporate partners.

What's The Need?

Low-income students statistically choose college majors that lead to lower paying jobs and graduate college less often, thus perpetuating a cycle of poverty. - Georgetown University Center on Education and The Workforce

What Makes Us Unique?

We Are Them.
According to Forbes, Gen-Zers are influenced to make decisions by their peers. Our diverse team of accomplished and relatable millennials have influence online, are close in age, and come from similar socioeconomic backgrounds as the students we are reaching. - Forbes "Reaching Gen-Z With Influencer Marketing"

We Are Teaching Students:
- In-Demand Careers Of The Future
- How To Match Their Career With Their Personality
We teach the "Big 5 Personality Trait Model" and how to choose a fulfilling and high income career that best aligns with their personality. Behavioral scientists found that the better an individual’s personality fits with her or his occupation, the higher their income. - Association for Psychological Science

This work is not only more measurable, but most importantly, it's even more impactful. I was once a low-income student and I know if I had these types of resources and information I would certainly be more successful. Therefore, my team and I are using our knowledge and resources to partner with large corporations and make a positive change. I can't imagine leading a better and more fulfilling cause.

For more information about The Diversity Org and if you'd like to donate please visit our website.

If you'd like to know more about me, Joshua Pierce, the Founder and CEO, please follow me on Instagram @JoshuaPiercex

]]>http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/09/11/startup-week-diversity-org/feed/0New NYU Startup School Topics We’re Excited Abouthttp://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/09/10/new-nyu-startup-school-topics-excited/
http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/09/10/new-nyu-startup-school-topics-excited/#respondTue, 10 Sep 2019 15:12:50 +0000http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/?p=199118It’s hard to believe that Fall is here – the temperature is starting to drop, the Leslie eLab is buzzing with startup activity, and we are kicking off the Fall '19 NYU Startup School series! For those of you who are new to NYU or our entrepreneurial community, Startup School is a semester-long series that […]

]]>It’s hard to believe that Fall is here – the temperature is starting to drop, the Leslie eLab is buzzing with startup activity, and we are kicking off the Fall '19 NYU Startup School series! For those of you who are new to NYU or our entrepreneurial community, Startup School is a semester-long series that provides the training and resources to launch and grow a startup. We typically host two sessions a week on topics ranging from, “When and How to Raise VC,” to “Legal Essentials for Startup Founders,” and “Coming Up With a Brilliant Business Idea.” Each workshop is taught by industry experts and there are no prereqs – simply attend the sessions that are of interest to you.

PR for Startups, 10/29 (4-6 pm)
Speaker: Marissa Feinberg, Founder of Triple Bottom Why
PR is crucial to educating the public about your new product, service, or idea. Learn how to build your brand and gain exposure on a budget.
(RSVP link coming soon).

Startup Opportunities in the Cybersecurity Space, 11/6 (4-6 pm)
Speaker: Andy Kangpan (Stern '13), Investor at Two Sigma Ventures
Thinking about launching a Cybersecurity startup or generally interested in the space? NYU alumnus and investor Andy Kangpan has spent a lot of time in this area – hear about his recent investments and overall thoughts on cybersecurity.RSVP here.

Optimizing Your Landing Page, 11/13 (4-6 pm)
Speaker: Michael Landsberger, CEO of Flimper
A startup’s landing page often acts as a first impression to potential customers. How can you convince website visitors to convert? What makes a good landing page? How can you communicate your core offerings clearly and compellingly? How can you design experiments to A/B test? Find out!RSVP here.

]]>http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/09/10/new-nyu-startup-school-topics-excited/feed/0Meet the teams pitching at NYU Startup Demo Day!http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/09/06/come-see-top-nyu-startups-pitch/
http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/09/06/come-see-top-nyu-startups-pitch/#respondFri, 06 Sep 2019 20:41:19 +0000http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/?p=196745Next Thu, Sept 12 from 5:00 - 7:00PM at NYU Stern, Paulson Aud, will be one of the only opportunities for all students and faculty to come and see some of the most promising startups coming out of two top NYU programs, Summer Launchpad and Stern Venture Fellows, present to the public in the NYU Demo Day. Be […]

]]>Next Thu, Sept 12 from 5:00 - 7:00PM at NYU Stern, Paulson Aud, will be one of the only opportunities for all students and faculty to come and see some of the most promising startups coming out of two top NYU programs, Summer Launchpad and Stern Venture Fellows, present to the public in the NYU Demo Day.

Curtain: helping urban singles looking for meaningful relationships identify chemistry with potential matches prior to meeting in real life by providing them with new tools that bring human interaction to dating in the digital age

Team: Brenden Strauss (SPS ‘20), Ben Honig, Lexi Strauss

ChoreBug: an online platform that connects community involved locals looking to get odd jobs done around their home, to local high school students looking for flexible work in the area.

Team: Avante Price (Stern ‘22), Jenni Funt (Tandon ‘22)

GigFinesse: Booking gigs is a flawed, laborious process for both artists and venues. GigFinesse streamlines talent booking for up and coming artists and small to medium sized venues by eliminating the hurdles both parties face by maximizing revenue, saving time and increasing exposure.

Team: Mir Hwang (CAS ‘19), Jong Wook Kim

Merciless Motors: developing an electric motor technology that is 50% lighter, 33% smaller, 5-10% more efficient, for innovators in electric vehicle manufacturing, in order to increase vehicle range and reduce manufacturing costs.

Team: Nader Ahmed (Tandon ‘19), Anna Eva Kotyza (Gallatin ‘19)

Miranda: providing a data mining tool that gives p&c independent insurance agents/broker access to a wealth of information about their leads, prospects and policyholders in one single place to help them pre-qualify leads, understand their prospects, speed up the quoting process and grow their business.
Team: Sara Liu (Stern ‘22), Alberto Chierici (Tandon ‘22)

PIVOTtag: PIVOTtag is a technology company that enables hoteliers to reduce labor costs, manage inventory, and provide the optimal guest experience through an easy and frictionless luggage check-in system.

]]>http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/09/06/come-see-top-nyu-startups-pitch/feed/0SeaStraws is creating a greener worldhttp://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/08/14/seastraws-creating-greener-world/
http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/08/14/seastraws-creating-greener-world/#respondWed, 14 Aug 2019 19:50:27 +0000http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/?p=187325Plastic pollution is a growing problem in the United States and globally. Even before the plastic waste washes onto our shores, it disrupts natural ecosystems and harms wildlife significantly. Many companies are actively working to reduce the amount of single use plastic consumed by their employees, but navigating how to do so can be daunting. […]

]]>Plastic pollution is a growing problem in the United States and globally. Even before the plastic waste washes onto our shores, it disrupts natural ecosystems and harms wildlife significantly. Many companies are actively working to reduce the amount of single use plastic consumed by their employees, but navigating how to do so can be daunting. SeaStraws, a Business-to-Business-to-Consumer (B2B2C) sustainable products company, makes it easy.

Echo: Antonio and I met working at a Coffee startup two years ago where he was working on sales and I was doing creative and social media. We got to know each other and found out that we work well together. At the end of my contract there, Antonio approached me with the idea for SeaStraws. Because sustainability is important to me and I love doing creative work, it was a perfect fit.

Antonio: Sophie and I met studying abroad in Florence where we did climate change research together at the EU.

How did the idea for SeaStraws come about?

Antonio: My background is in hospitality. My first job was at the New York Hilton in the catering department. I did big events there and learned what it was like to do purchasing from a large organization’s perspective. Then I worked at Luxbeverage, where I learned how to sell from the perspective of a small business. That made me very startup literate. I grew up going to the Jersey shore, so I was always aware of the issue of plastic pollution and wanted to start a business around that.

How did you come up with the name?

Echo: SEA stands for sustainability, education, and advocacy. We are not only interested in the sustainability of our product, but also in educating our customers at all levels (businesses and individuals) and in encouraging them to advocate for what they believe in.

What is Seastraws doing specifically to enable conversation through education and advocacy?

Echo: On our social media platforms we post about rallies and protests for our followers to attend. Further, we work with our nonprofit partners Surfrider Foundation, Oceanic Global, and The River Project to promote environmental education and involvement to our supporters. Most of the events that we plug are in New York; however, we sometimes connect customers to things in California, Miami, and Texas.

Talk about your audience.

Antonio: SeaStraws has a Business-to-Business-to-Consumer (B2B2C) model which means we must balance out the end user as well as the businesses that we sell to.

Echo: On our social channels our main audience is between the ages of 25 and upper 30s. Additionally, we have a number of younger followers and have worked with kids on school projects about pollution and enironmentalism.

What do you think is the trickiest part of your business or your industry?

Antonio:The trickiest part is trying to run a B2B2C business model which is innovative, but hasn’t proved out. It’s a balancing act trying to market a B2B company as a B2C. And because there is little to no research on the return of such a business there is experimentation and risk involved, but I think that gets better with time.

Tell me about a challenge you have overcome and how you did so.

Antonio: SeaStraws bring products to people that they haven’t seen before. We are a straw company and we have a great formulation for a straw. However, the next big thing in the sustainability market is cutlery which many of our customers and distributors requested that we provide. So we went through a thorough process of finding manufacturers to work with and ended up finding one that makes Birchwood cutlery which has the highest sustainability certification of wood products. We are now moving forward with that.

What are your Summer Launchpad highlights?

Sophie: The workshops have been amazing. Through them and with help from the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute staff, I have been able to learn a great deal about sales, which I had limited experience in.

You've touched on this a bit already, but what makes this work meaningful to you all, individually?

Antonio: As a kid I knew I wanted to work in the restaurant industry. That’s a hard living to make because the business requires long hours with little pay. I find it's meaningful to do the work I'm doing now, in the restaurant business but with a social aspect. I find meaning in helping the environment and providing people with products they’ve never seen.

Echo: SeaStraws gives me the ability to use my creative background to make a positive impact. Sometimes art can seem selfish, but designing for good and knowing that the work I'm doing is helping people become more educated and opt into a sustainable lifestyle makes this meaningful for me. As a kid, I loved Earth Day and used to paint the Earth Day mural at school. This feels like a big-kid version of that.

Sophie: I grew up in a house that didn’t recycle. In my work, I found microplastic fibers in a coral larvae sample which made me realize how prominent plastic pollution is and that we need sustainable solutions to fix it. It’s transformative to see how much big change we can affect through smaller, simple changes.

SeaStraws calls their work a family affair and are lucky to have each other. The team describes Antonio as a determined leader, Sophie as a fighter and a people person, and Echo as the spirit of the company and a creator.

]]>http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/08/14/seastraws-creating-greener-world/feed/0Merciless Motors is turning the motor vehicle industry on its headhttp://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/08/12/merciless-motors-turning-motor-vehicle-industry-head/
http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/08/12/merciless-motors-turning-motor-vehicle-industry-head/#respondMon, 12 Aug 2019 16:07:59 +0000http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/?p=186743The traditional motor has not been innovated in ages. The one in your car is essentially the same one that your grandparents had. That is, until now! Merciless Motors is reinventing the standard motor with their electrical model. Born out of an idea inspired by the Nader’s high school physics lecture, this innovation is democratizing motor […]

]]>The traditional motor has not been innovated in ages. The one in your car is essentially the same one that your grandparents had. That is, until now! Merciless Motors is reinventing the standard motor with their electrical model. Born out of an idea inspired by the Nader’s high school physics lecture, this innovation is democratizing motor vehicles.

Anna: We met at an NYU networking event where we discovered our shared love for problem solving over a discussion on how to fix the MTA.

How did the idea for Merciless Motors come about?

Anna: This idea came out of Nader’s fascination of motors. Sitting in his high school physics class during a lesson about generators, he noticed a fundamental inefficiency in their design. He began designing alternate motors, which garnered approval from both his high school teachers and his Physics and Electrical Engineering professors at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. Once his idea was solidified he decided to apply for NYU Stern’s 300K Entrepreneurs Challenge and asked me to join the team.

Explain what a motor is and how it works.

Anna: A motor makes things move through electricity. It is a machine that rotates and through the rotation converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.

On your website you mention that yours is “such a novel idea that it created its own category of motors.” Talk to me about this new category of motors.

Nader: Ours is a novel configuration of magnetic fields and wire - a completely new design that puts our motor in a category of its own.

Many would say "do not try to reinvent the wheel." What makes you confident in your reinventing the motor?

Anna: We believe that the world is moving toward sustainability. It is important to make electric modes of transport easier to put out into the world. There is obviously a great need, especially considering the state of climate change as well as regulations on motor vehicles, and Merciless Motors is the solution.

Talk about your audience. Who is Merciless Motors aimed at?

Anna: Merciless motors is aimed at head engineers for startups and companies. We are trying to target people who need a cheaper motor that’ll run for a longer range.

What is the trickiest part of your industry?

Anna: The trickiest part of our industry are barriers. Finding people who are willing to work with a motor startup as opposed to a traditional manufacturer is difficult. Many large corporations don’t want to take a risk with an innovation even if it’s to their benefit.

How do you navigate these barriers?

Anna: One step at a time. We tackle the issue by finding small players and early stage startups to build personal relationships with and determine success parameters for.

What unique challenges are you working through right now?

Anna: There is such a big market, we are working on honing in on out most urgent customers.

Who have been some mentors to you in your journey? What do you look for in a mentor?

Anna: Our greatest mentors have been people in the motor industry who have faced similar challenges to our own. In a mentor we look for an individual who can help us scale hardware technology and knows how to deal with new inventions as well as complicated market ecosystems.

What are some of your Summer Launchpad highlights?

Anna: The board meetings and the mentors have been a great help. The biggest highlight is the constant learning process SLP fosters.

Nader: The guest speakers have been phenomenal, especially the ones who were honest about their struggles. In addition to that, the legal office hours have been extremely useful to us.

What would you tell NYU students who want to launch their own startup?

Anna: Focus on a problem that you see, understand that it is difficult to start, and be open minded to change - persistence and resilience are key.

Nader: A big deterrent from launching a startup is the time commitment. If you have an idea that you are passionate about, you should ignore that hesitation. Just as anything in life, you must make time for what you care about.

How do your backgrounds inform the work you do for Merciless Motors?

Anna: I worked for an augmented reality startup and as a construction worker for my parents’ house building company growing up. I’m fascinated by creation in our everyday lives and how to bring physical things to life.

Nader: My background before coming to college was entirely technical. I worked in aviation, fixing planes and have always loved taking things apart and putting them back together which translated into my fascination with motors.

You have very different backgrounds, how do you bridge the communication gap?

(Anna on the Business side and Nader on the Mechanical Engineering end)

Anna: Constant communication. We utilize pointers, or constant feedback. Nader and I highlight pros and cons for each other as well as express doubts comfortably. And, we avoid micromanaging one another.

What makes this work meaningful to you?

Anna: My parents immigrated to America from Slovakia thirty years ago and started a construction business. Like them, I am creating my own space in the entrepreneurship and business world.

Nader: I’ve always had a passion for cars. When I used to purchase cheap, broken down vehicles, I realized that a new electric motor such as our own would make cars more reliable and cost effective. Not having much money growing up, I am doing meaningful work in attempting to make cars more affordable.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

Anna: We are excited to see what the future holds and we will always be thankful for everyone at the Entrepreneurial Institute for their help and guidance.

Nader is described as Logical and Anna - a Hustler.

Merciless Motors is turning the motor vehicle industry on its head. Look out for them!

]]>http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/08/12/merciless-motors-turning-motor-vehicle-industry-head/feed/0Miranda is helping insurance agents protect youhttp://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/08/06/miranda-helping-insurance-agents-protect/
http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/08/06/miranda-helping-insurance-agents-protect/#respondTue, 06 Aug 2019 17:13:22 +0000http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/?p=185181If you’re anything like me, you think the world of insurance is bland and uninteresting. Miranda, an insurance automation startup, is bringing a human quality to this industry. Miranda is creating an application that automates insurance operations by integrating a chatbot framework with popular messaging apps and Customer Relationship Management Systems. This week […]

]]>If you’re anything like me, you think the world of insurance is bland and uninteresting. Miranda, an insurance automation startup, is bringing a human quality to this industry.

Miranda is creating an application that automates insurance operations by integrating a chatbot framework with popular messaging apps and Customer Relationship Management Systems.

This week I sat down with the cofounders Sara Liu (Stern ‘22) and Alberto Chierici (Tandon ‘22) to learn more about the safety net that is insurance.

Tell me about yourselves.

Sara: I am a rising sophomore at the business school. I have always been interested in entrepreneurship. In highschool, the stationary shop I created expanded into a physical bookstore.

Alberto: I have been working in the insurance sector for the past ten years - first as an actuary for large insurance companies in Italy, then as a consultant. Now I am pursuing a Computer Science PhD at NYU Abu Dhabi.

How did you meet?

Alberto: When I was in New York I was attempting to recruit people for my company. I attended any and every networking event and bootcamp. At one event I sat by Sara, we chatted briefly, and I learned that she was looking for a summer internship, so I hired her.

Sara: I started as an intern, then I became more involved in making big decisions for Miranda and influencing the company’s development. Ultimately we decided that I move forward as a cofounder.

How did the idea for Miranda come about?

Alberto: An insurance agent from Italy contacted me two years ago on LinkedIn and requested that I develop a chatbot for his website. I picked it up as a side project. When I came to New York, I discovered that insurance agents in the United States experience similar problems to my former Italian employers. My fascination with their shared frustrations is what sparked the idea for developing an automation software to help streamline their workflow: from the initial stage of finding a lead to acquiring a new customer.

Where does the name come from?

Alberto: Miranda was the name of the first chatbot I built for the Italian insurance agent. Miranda is also the name of one of the first satellites that was discovered orbiting around Uranus. The idea is that the planet is an insurance agency - a traditional, grounded type of business. The satellite, our software, is something that illustrates space innovation and dynamic movement. The unit, both traditional and innovative, works to keep itself grounded and moving forward in the same way that Miranda works with agents.

Break down insurance for someone who has never heard of it.

Alberto: In theory, insurance is a common fund in which many people pay a small amount of money. If something happens to one of the members of the fund, the member will be covered (financially). The beautiful thing about this mechanism is that it has a social aspect as well as a mathematical one. The social aspect is that by opting in you are helping someone in a bad situation. The mathematical component is that the concept of insurance fulfils a statistical law - the larger the number of people who pool their money together is, the less each member is required to pay. This makes insurance viable and affordable. Unfortunately, the reality of insurance today is much more complex and confusing.

Explain what you do and why it matters to people who do not work in insurance.

Alberto: Working in insurance helped me understand the utility and the importance of having something akin to a rainy day fund ready in case an emergency happens. Miranda recognizes the importance of having professional support and is creating better access to insurance. On a business level it is even more important. Without Insurance transportation systems such as the MTA could not operate. It serves as a prevention mechanism for the business and its customers. For a business to pay less in insurance, it must have proper risk containment systems and measures in place to regulate health and safety. Insurance obliges businesses to maintain social responsibility.

Sara: It is important that insurance is simple. The marketplace is not fair - especially when you look at the statistics of how many Americans do not have coverage. We are changing that.

Talk about your audience.

Sara: Our main audience is 25 - 35 year old independent insurance agents in the United States who sell insurance to small to medium business owners and high net worth individuals owning multiple homes and properties. They are a friendly and personable bunch who are passionate about protecting their clients.

What is the trickiest part of your business or industry?

Alberto: It is a stagnant industry and we are a fast paced team. We would like to move forward swiftly; however, insurance is slow paced in terms of communication as well as innovation.

What unique challenges are you working through right now?

Alberto: There are so many problems insurance agents have. We are working through pinpointing the problems of greatest urgency.

Who have been some mentors to you in your journey? What do you look for in a mentor?

Alberto: We have mentors in the insurance space as well as mentors here at the Leslie eLab; both of whom have helped us refine our value proposition and cover our blind spots. In a mentor, we seek candidness and value former entrepreneurs’ experience. However, we recognize that many mentors have different points of view, so we work to find what is valuable and useful among varying pieces of advice.

Alberto: Having a place that holds us accountable is the biggest highlight. We appreciate the mock board meetings that have helped us prepare for real ones.

Sara: The speakers have given us tremendous business development inspiration.

What would you tell other NYU students considering launching a startup?

Aberto: Never ever ever give up!

Sara: You will never be ready, so why not just do it now?

Describe your teammate in one word.

Alberto: Sara is extremely Resourceful.

Sara: Alberto is like Family.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

Alberto: We see vulnerability as a strength. And showing weakness is not weak.

The duo is big on communication. They are somewhat of a long distance startup which thrives through open dialogue, honesty, and transparency.

Miranda is also currently developing a blog called Uncover Agent - exploring the lives of the humans behind insurance. The website is intended to make the insurance world simpler and “not so boring.” Read more here.

]]>http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/08/06/miranda-helping-insurance-agents-protect/feed/0Synchealth saves startup employees from burnouthttp://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/08/01/synchealth-saves-startup-employees-burnout/
http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/08/01/synchealth-saves-startup-employees-burnout/#respondThu, 01 Aug 2019 15:28:34 +0000http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/?p=184144Are you an overworked and sleepless employee at a startup? Has your mental health suffered from hours of being hunched over your computer, late nights, and urgent deadlines? Startup culture can be excruciating and overwhelming, but with SyncHealth it doesn’t have to be. This week I interviewed the SyncHealth team: Alexis Trevizo (Tandon ‘18), Param […]

]]>Are you an overworked and sleepless employee at a startup? Has your mental health suffered from hours of being hunched over your computer, late nights, and urgent deadlines? Startup culture can be excruciating and overwhelming, but with SyncHealth it doesn’t have to be.

This week I interviewed the SyncHealth team: Alexis Trevizo (Tandon ‘18), Param Kulkarn, and Joey Corigliano (NYU Law) to learn more about the startup for startups.

Introduce yourselves.

Alexis: I am a healthcare design and human-computer interaction professional.

Param: I am an ex-postdoc from the NYU School of Medicine with a research background in machine learning and healthcare.

Joey: I am a law student and am passionate about addressing mental health issues in the workplace.

How did you all meet?

Alexis: Param and I met at the 2018 NYU Healthcare Makerthon. We met Joey at an NYU startup networking event.

Who is SyncHealth? What do you do?

Alexis: Synchealth is a service for tech startup which have 50+ full-time employees who suffer from low team productivity and high churn caused by work-related behavioral issues. We provide low-barrier access to behavioral health coaches who understand startup culture.

How did the idea for SyncHealth come about?

Alexis: The idea for Synchealth was born out of a pivot from our previous project - on artificial intelligence powered intake form for medical patients. We realized we were creating a function, not a product. With SyncHealth we found a gap in mental health services for startup employees.

How did you come up with the name?

Alexis: we believe that being synchronized with yourself and your mental health is important. Given all of the stress we face in our daily interactions, it is easy to get out of sync. Sometimes you just need to take a moment to realign or sync up with yourself.

What are the biggest problems with US healthcare today?

Param: Access. People are not receiving the appropriate care they need.

What is the trickiest part of your business?

Alexis: The trickiest part of our business has been going into a maturing market full of competitors. Another problem is that mental health isn’t regarded as a priority in the way that physical health is.

Talk about your audience.

Our focus is the growing workforce of series A startups. People at these startups tend to work under an incredible amount of pressure which often leads to stressors that take a toll on mental wellbeing.

Talk about a challenge you have recently overcome and how you did so.

Param: For a health tech company, everyday is challenging. It has been especially challenging to tackle the complexity of healthcare’s many stakeholders and regulations. So far, we have been overcoming the challenges by approaching them one at a time in a calm manner. Otherwise, we would be too overwhelmed to push our vision forward.

Who have been some mentors to you in your journey? What do you look for in a mentor?

Alexis: One mentor that comes to mind is Jo, the CEO of Trusty.care. Jo is someone who has been in our position, having started a health company, and understands how difficult the market can be. More importantly he has helped us become more creative in our approach.

What are your Summer Launchpad highlights?

Alexis: The best part has been the amazing mentors who have been so helpful. It’s been great bouncing ideas back and forth as well as forming awesome relationships.

I asked them to describe each other in one word. Param wass described as driven, Joey as sharp, and Alexis as curious.

The Synchealth team has big things coming up. Look out for them in the Cornell-Tech Startup Runway program this fall!

]]>http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/08/01/synchealth-saves-startup-employees-burnout/feed/0Meet the Teams in the Summer '19 Faculty Sprinthttp://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/07/31/meet-teams-summer-19-faculty-sprint/
http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/07/31/meet-teams-summer-19-faculty-sprint/#respondWed, 31 Jul 2019 19:38:09 +0000http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/?p=184028Please join us in congratulating the 9 NYU startup teams that will participate in the 2nd cohort of the Faculty Sprint. During the week of August 26, faculty entrepreneurs and their PhD/postdoc teams will embark on a 5-day intensive program where they will test the commercial potential of their research with customers and partners. By […]

]]>Please join us in congratulating the 9 NYU startup teams that will participate in the 2nd cohort of the Faculty Sprint.

During the week of August 26, faculty entrepreneurs and their PhD/postdoc teams will embark on a 5-day intensive program where they will test the commercial potential of their research with customers and partners. By the end of the program, teams will have devised an evidence-based business case to compliment their technology.

Over 20 teams applied, representing 13 NYU schools and colleges and ventures ranging from cleantech to digital health. We are thrilled to welcome and work with these teams!

ePVA: a communication tool that supports clinical practice in head and neck cancer

]]>http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/07/31/meet-teams-summer-19-faculty-sprint/feed/0How NYU startups crushed it in the last year!http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/07/30/nyu-startups-crushed-last-year/
http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/07/30/nyu-startups-crushed-last-year/#respondTue, 30 Jul 2019 19:48:10 +0000http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/?p=183934The last year has been momentous for the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute. We introduced our Startup Accelerator Series, increased female representation in our programming, and coached over 400 startups. But the ones who are really crushing it are the entrepreneurs we get to work with every day. Last year, 25 of the startups we work with […]

]]>The last year has been momentous for the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute. We introduced our Startup Accelerator Series, increased female representation in our programming, and coached over 400 startups.

But the ones who are really crushing it are the entrepreneurs we get to work with every day. Last year, 25 of the startups we work with got accepted into external (non-NYU) accelerators and incubators, 6 startups received SBIR/STTR grants totalling $2.2 million, and one startup even got a FDA approval!

Want to learn more about the success of our startups? Check out this info-graphic!

]]>http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/07/30/nyu-startups-crushed-last-year/feed/0PIVOTtag makes hotel luggage storage a breeze!http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/07/25/pivottag-makes-hotel-luggage-storage-breeze/
http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/blog/2019/07/25/pivottag-makes-hotel-luggage-storage-breeze/#respondThu, 25 Jul 2019 15:28:38 +0000http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/?p=183553If you travel and stay in hotels often, you've probably had to check your bag in before you were able to check into a room. While you wait for your room to be ready, you take a walk around the neighborhood or have a drink at the bar, all while holding onto a paper receipt […]

]]>If you travel and stay in hotels often, you've probably had to check your bag in before you were able to check into a room. While you wait for your room to be ready, you take a walk around the neighborhood or have a drink at the bar, all while holding onto a paper receipt you can exchange for your bag later. Often times, these paper receipts get misplaced, leaving the hotel to rummage through hundreds of suitcases looking for the right ones to hand back to guests. It's an archaic, analog system. PIVOTtag is here to change that.

This week I sat down with founder and CEO Emily Long and developer Arahant Ashok Kumar to meet the team behind the revolutionary tagging device.

How did you meet?

Emily: We met through the Leslie eLab. I listed a job posting looking for a tech developer and Arahant reached out.

How did the idea for PIVOTtag come about?

Emily: PIVOTtag started as a solution for lost luggage. I was hand making tags and selling them directly to customers. As we did more research we found an unmet need in hotels, most of which utilize bellmen to store and distribute luggage for guests by way of paper tags and receipts. PIVOTtag can be used to enhance the hotel guest experience and eliminate paper usage for a more eco-friendly, streamlined approach.

How does it work exactly?

Emily: When a guest hands a bag over to a bellman for storage, he attaches a PIVOTtag to the bag, scans the tag, and asks the guest for their phone number. The guest immediately receives a confirmation text, which they present back to the bellman when they retrieve their bags. No more tags getting ripped, receipts getting lost, unreadable handwriting… It's faster, reusable, and provides more opportunities for positive engagement with guests via text!

Talk about your audience.

Emily: Our target market is tech-friendly, trendy hotels.

What do you think is the trickiest part of your business or your industry?

Emily: A difficult challenges in the hospitality industry is ensuring optimal guest experience.

Who have been some mentors to you in your journey?

Emily: We have several mentors who are pivotal to us (no pun intended). Dana Mauriello, who we meet with regularly, holds us accountable for achieving weekly goals and has years of experience in the hospitality industry. Her guidance and knowledge have helped us to stay relevant and to bridge the communication gap with industry members.

What makes your work meaningful?

Emily: Knowing that we are creating something that real people will use every day makes this work meaningful.

Arahant: Being involved in expanding something that is so simple and elegant, yet innovative and modern is empowering and meaningful.

How does your educational background inform the work you do with PIVOTtag?

Emily: I took several years off school after undergrad at USF. During that time I was a data analyst for a technology company that audits airlines, and my real world experience helped me better understand people's everyday needs.

Emily: It’s so motivating working around people who are also making their dreams happen. I appreciate the structure the program provides as well.

Arahant: Interacting with fellow entrepreneurs and mentors is inspiring. The cohort is encouraging, challenging, and collaborative; I am learning new things every day.

What would you tell other NYU students who may be considering starting their own startup?

Emily: Just do it! Start small, and make the ugliest version of your idea and see if the market bites. The uncertainty is a good thing and when your stomach feels like it is in knots… you're on the right path and keep going!Emily is described as relentless and Arahant - a polymath. Team PIVOTtag is as charming as their product. Look out for them at your next hotel getaway!